


And You'll Fall Again

by opheliahyde



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-17
Updated: 2010-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-17 00:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9296252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opheliahyde/pseuds/opheliahyde
Summary: There's nothing but history and love between us.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for scorpiod's prompt in softly_me's _Vampire Diaries comment-fic meme_.

Sometimes Tyler doesn’t understand why his mom invites the Gilberts over.

Sure, Elena is five like him, but she’s a _girl_ and always wants him to play with her Barbies and other girl stuff Tyler wants nothing to do with. Tyler’s glad Caroline and Bonnie didn’t come with her, the three of them together is really annoying and Tyler’s mom won’t let him hide in his room. And Jeremy, well, Jeremy’s three and doesn’t do much, but push his trucks allow the floor making _vroom vroom_ noises in between the random spurts of energy where he takes off running and Tyler has to chase him because he doesn’t understand the rules. Tyler doesn’t want his dad to yell at Jeremy.

Today Elena sits in the corner of the living room with her legs folded up underneath her and she’s humming while she runs a tiny pink brush through her a doll’s hair, slowly as if she’s counting the strokes. Tyler tries to keep himself busy, but his mom said no Nintendo and it’s raining, so he can’t go outside and he can’t throw balls in the house, so it’s drawing or nothing and he’s quickly getting bored. Jeremy’s in the middle of the floor, pushing his toy cars in a circle, and Tyler gets up and wanders over, thinking it can’t be any worse.

Playing with Jeremy is kind of fun, not that he wouldn’t tell anyone that and by the way Elena looks up and smiles like she’s happy, he doesn’t think she’s going to go blabbing to Caroline and Bonnie. And when Jeremy gets tired of his trucks, Tyler brings him over to his roll of paper and gives him a crayon. Jeremy doesn’t exactly draw as much as he scribbles color across the white, but Tyler thinks it’s more fun to draw with _somebody_ than alone.

When Mrs. Gilbert comes to get them, Tyler feels kind of sad to see them go, even though he can finally play Nintendo and do whatever he wants. But then Jeremy runs over and hugs him as Elena giggles, and Tyler thinks it’s for the best.

 

 

 

Tyler feels kind of bad for the Gilbert kid as he watches him walk down the street alone, carrying a thick book, but then Matt chucks the basketball at his chest and knocks him back into the game as surely as he knocked the wind out of him. They play one-on-one for a while until Matt collapses on the court, forfeiting out of fatigue, but Tyler thinks it’s because he’s kicking Matt’s ass and Matt doesn’t want to admit it. Tyler falls to the ground beside Matt and looks up to see Jeremy Gilbert sitting on a bench, sketching something out.

“What’s his deal, anyway?” Tyler asks suddenly, not realizing he’s speaking out loud until he does and Matt is looking at him with narrowed eyes. “I mean, does he have his own friends? He’s always following Elena around, and by association, us.”

“Don’t be an ass, Tyler, that’s my girlfriend’s kid brother,” Matt says with a sigh. “And I don’t know, he’s just really shy and awkward. I think it’s just because he grew up around all us and now there’s this great divide, or whatever.” Matt snorts. “Two years shouldn’t be such a big deal.”

“Dude, he’s _twelve_ ,” Tyler says, and bristles when Matt rolls his eyes. “But I suppose since he’s _darling_ Elena’s little brother, it doesn’t matter.”

Matt cocks an eyebrow at him. “Remind me again why I’m friends with you?”

Tyler doesn’t get to retort because Dr. Gilbert comes up behind them. Tyler never knows what to make of Dr. Gilbert with his hair longer and messier than most the adults he knows and how he doesn’t wear suits if he can help it, but he’s nice and polite, and still Tyler can’t form an opinion of the man with his dad’s opinions tumbling around in his mind, so Tyler stays quiet when he addresses them.

“Hey, Matt!” he says with a warm, genuine smile. Then he nods in Tyler’s direction. “Tyler. Have you guys happened to see my son around here? I told him to meet me at the park, but didn’t really specify where and I’ve already been to the other end looking all over.”

Matt stands up, ever helpful and points over his shoulder at Jeremy hunched over his sketchbook. “He’s right there. I don’t remember when he showed up, but it couldn’t have been long,” Matt says. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him, though.”

“A-ha,” Dr. Gilbert says and grins at the both of them. “Mystery solved. Thanks guys.”

Dr. Gilbert steps around them and walks over to the bench where Jeremy is sitting. Tyler watches as Jeremy lifts his head and smiles when he sees his dad, and then hops off the bench, closing his sketchbook quickly in his excitement. Tyler hears Dr. Gilbert’s laugh echo towards them and feels a lump forming in his throat. It’s a strange Kodak moment that Tyler doesn’t really get and maybe he thinks he’s above, but he can’t deny the jealousy churning in his gut when Dr. Gilbert swings an arm around his son’s shoulders and reaches up to ruffle his hair affectionately.

He decides he doesn’t feel so bad for Jeremy anymore.

 

 

 

Tyler moves through the sea of mourners that clog up the Gilbert household and makes his way upstairs. He’s not sure how he remembers which room is Jeremy’s because it’s been so long since he’s actually been in this house for more than five minutes as he waits with Matt when they pick up Elena, but he gets the right door and he pushes it open without knocking.

Jeremy looks a wreck, curled up on the floor with his back against his bed, a frame clutched in his hands. Tyler doesn’t know why he came here and suddenly he feels as lost as Jeremy looks. He doesn’t know anything about how Jeremy feels, he can’t even imagine it because sometimes Tyler _wishes_ his parents dead and that’s not something that’s going to comfort Jeremy, not when his parents were good people and didn’t deserve this.

“Hey,” Jeremy says, his voice small and rough.

Tyler figures he's welcome and closes the door behind him, and then walks over and sits beside Jeremy on the floor. “Hey,” he says, tilting his head to the side and locking on Jeremy’s bloodshot eyes.

“You found me,” Jeremy croaks, rubbing at him eyes with the sleeve of his dark hoodie and putting the frame in his hand down on the floor. “Did someone send you?”

“No,” Tyler says with a shrug of his shoulders, then he leans his head back on the bed and sighs. “I just figured you shouldn’t be alone, but probably don’t want to deal with that mob downstairs. I know I wouldn’t.”

“Thanks,” Jeremy whispers, and then scoots in closer, but not enough to touch, but near enough Tyler can feels his body heat.

Tyler doesn’t know what possess him to do it, but he throws his arm over Jeremy’s shoulders and pulls him in all the way until they touch, until he can feel Jeremy trembling and barely holding it together. Tyler doesn’t feel stable a lot of the time, especially with all this anger he holds inside and burns hot in his veins, but he knows he’s solid and that’s all Jeremy needs right now, something firm and real to cling to. Tyler breathes in deep when Jeremy curls into him and clutches at his suit jacket, and he squeezes back when Jeremy starts to cry all over again.

His mother will scold him for ruining his suit later, but Tyler can’t find it in him to care.

 

 

 

Tyler doesn’t think, when he looks back upon those months of fighting over Vicki, that it had anything to do with her. She was just the trigger, the bullet the shot through the both of them, that left them bleeding and started this push-pull thing that neither of them could win. But it was always there, even from the start, the groundwork was laid out perfectly. Tyler can only see it in retrospect, now that the angry haze has faded and Tyler no longer wants to reach out to Jeremy with his fists.

They want so much, the both of them, and maybe that’s what makes it so easy for them to figure out which buttons to push, which will cause the worst reaction. It’s almost a game of Chicken that they play, each daring the other to go further, to dig deeper and Tyler feels he’s always losing, Jeremy getting further and further under his skin. He doesn’t know how to get him out, or even if he wants to and maybe that scares him a little more than he can admit to himself.

 

 

 

Tyler doesn’t want to get out of bed after he triggers the curse and doesn’t for almost a week afterwards, but then somehow Jeremy gets into his house and he wakes up at three in the afternoon to Jeremy sitting at the end of his bed. “About time you woke up,” he says, his voice somehow agitated and chipper all at the same time. It gives Tyler a headache.

Tyler groans as he rolls over and pulls a pillow over his head. “Go away,” he says, the words sounding muffled to his own ears.

“No can do,” he hears Jeremy say, and then his blankets are pulled off his bed and Tyler thinks he’s lucky he’s wearing at least boxers, and then Jeremy somehow wrestles the pillow out of his hands. Tyler immediately curls up into ball in the middle of his bed, hoping Jeremy will have mercy on him in the fetal position. Tyler jumps a little when Jeremy’s hand touches his naked back, running down the curve of his spine. “Come on, Tyler,” he whispers. “You need to get up.”

“Why?” Tyler asks, the rough sound of his own voice shocking him. “Why are you doing this?”

Then Jeremy climbs up on the bed beside him and leans over him, Tyler looks up and sees Jeremy’s smile. “Just returning the favor,” he says. Then he grabs onto Tyler’s arm and pulls until Tyler’s on his feet again.

 

 

 

Jeremy kisses him first and all Tyler can think is _of course_ when their lips meet. Jeremy pulls away, blushing, and then Tyler chases him back, grabbing a hold of the back of his head as his fingers slide through the strands of Jeremy’s hair and he fits their mouths back together. The of courses run like a mantra through his brain: of course this is where they were headed, of course it all makes sense now, _of course_ this is where they wanted to be all along. 


End file.
